Cubic and Other3DThermotropic Liquid Crystal Phases and Quasicrystals

A Low-Symmetry Cubic Mesophase of Dendronized CdS Nanoparticles and Their Structure-Dependent Photoluminescence

“…Our previous study on gold NPs coated with the same two-layer corona of DT + MHA (inner) and dendron Dend (outer) also had unexpected outcomes; a simple cubic structure was obtained with interstices even larger than those of FCC and HCP. 34 Body-centered cubic (BCC) structures have also been reported in dendrimers, 39 as well as in dendronized gold NPs; 31 however, this structure is similar to an FK phase. Our current two-layered corona design is a promising principle likely to lead to further unprecedented and unusual 3D LC structures.…”

“…An FCC LC structure has recently been reported for gold NPs coated with side-on-attached rod-like mesogens; 30 however, neither of the closepacked structures, i.e., FCC or hexagonal close packing (HCP), have been observed in dendrimers. 39 This has been attributed 40,41 to the fact that the supramolecular spheres are soft rather than hard, which enables them to pack more efficiently in structures known as Frank-Kasper (FK) phases. 42,43 FK phases contain only the smallest, i.e., tetrahedral, 44 interstices, whereas FCC and HCP both possess large octahedral vacancies whose centers are hard to reach by the ends of the dendron tails.…”

Spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking in benzil-based soft crystalline, cubic liquid crystalline and isotropic liquid phases

“…Besides the well-known case of lyotropic LCs, 17 Cub bi phases are also known to be formed in solvent-free (thermotropic) systems by rod-like polyaromatic molecules with two 18 , 19 or multiple alkyl end-chains (polycatenar compounds), 20 branched chains (swallow tailed compounds) 21 or other bulky end groups. 22 In these Cub bi phases the rods form networks and the alkyl chains fill the space between them ( Fig.…”

Added Alkane Allows Thermal Thinning of Supramolecular Columns by Forming Superlattice—An X-ray and Neutron Study

“…The former, in turn, tend to arrange on a 2-d lattice, most often hexagonal (Figure 1a), while the latter form 3-d lattices or even quasicrystals. 7,8 The most widely used dendrons producing 2-d and 3-d ordered liquid crystal (LC) or soft crystal structures consist of an aromatic core and flexible terminal chains. While dendrons of this type up to fifth generation have been synthesised and studied, 1 it turned out that most LC phases are observed already with the simplest tapered mesogens, the so-called "minidendrons", containing just one benzene ring, a weekly interacting group at the apex (1-position) and three or two flexible chains attached to positions 3, 4 and/or 5.…”